Satisfactory mastery of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) presupposes adequate training and frequent practice. As CPR (i.e., heart massage and artificial respiration) cannot be practiced on a healthy human being, dummies (i.e., simulations at least of the upper body and the head of a human being) have long been known on which CPR is learned and practiced. Correct performance of CPR naturally makes a clearer and longer-lasting impression on the person learning or practicing CPR the more the performance of the training dummy approaches the behavior of a human body in terms of heart massage and artificial respiration. The known dummies of the kind set forth in this specification (e.g., `Resusci Anne` manufactured by Laerdal) have for that purpose at least a simulation of the thorax, head and lungs. Typically, a spring means is disposed in the thorax simulation to simulate the compression resistance of the thorax and the lungs simulation is a flat bag which is connected to a mouth opening of the head simulation. Usually, the lungs bag is disposed in the thorax such that, when air is blown into the bag, the bag causes a visible lifting movement of the top of the thorax. In addition, the known dummies include means such that, when performing mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration, air is blown in against a resistance which corresponds to the respiration resistance of the human lungs, and such that artificial respiration is not possible when the head simulation occupies a position which, in the case of a human being, would result in blockage of the airways and thus ineffective artificial respiration. Furthermore, the face simulation is often of such a realistic configuration that, when carrying out mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration, the person learning or practicing the procedure is obliged to close the nose openings of the face simulation by clamping them shut, as is also required when performing artificial respiration for an accident victim.
The known dummies which provide these requirements are comparatively expensive to produce and therefore costly. Accordingly it has been the practice for CPR to be learned and practiced under the guidance of expert personnel, for example doctors, in institutes which posses a training dummy of that kind. As correct mastery of CPR presupposes constant practice, the successful learning in many cases is less than is desirable.
In order to remedy that problem, a dummy has already been developed, which involves a very low level of manufacturing expenditure and which is therefore so inexpensive that it can be acquired even by individuals for the purposes of practicing CPR at home (U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,987). That dummy has a simulation of the thorax in the form of a plastic plate which is bent rearwardly at the `shoulders`, so that is forms a front wall and a rear wall. Inserted between the front and rear walls is a spring device which can be compressed in a similar fashion to simulate a human thorax when heart massage is being performed. Fixedly inserted into the `shoulder region` of the plate can be a hollow head simulation of plastic material, which has a mouth opening and, at its lower end, a connection for fixing a lungs bag comprising foil material.
The '987 patent dummy is admittedly very inexpensive to produce by virtue of the above-indicated construction, so that is can be acquired even in the private sector for the purposes of practicing CPR, but--at any event with the exception of heart massage--it does not fulfill any of the requirements indicated in the opening part of this specification which are absolutely essential for CPR to be satisfactorily learned. Thus, artificial respiration can be effected in the invariable attitude of the head of the dummy so that the person learning the procedure may not remember firstly to put the head in the correct attitude so that artificial respiration can have any success at all. Furthermore, the person practicing with that dummy does not have any realistic control over the correct extent of respiration because blowing up the lungs bag in effecting artificial respiration cannot result in a visible lift of the thorax simulation. In addition, the head simulation and the lungs bag do not oppose any resistance to blowing in air, so that the learner does not gain a feel for the correct respiration pressure. Further, the head simulation does not have any nostrils which can be closed by the person practicing with the dummy so that it is also not possible to practice that step which is to be effected for proper artificial respiration.
The known dummies may admittedly make it possible in many cases to remove the lungs simulation so that it can be thrown away after it has been used once, for reasons of hygiene. However removal thereof is a complicated operation because the lungs simulation must be pulled through the neck and the mouth opening, often after the thorax simulation and/or the head simulation has previously been opened. The operation of introducing the lungs simulation is a correspondingly laborious one.